A NEW liftshare group has been set up for those who work in or near Launceston Retail Park or Hurdon Road.

There have been some issues recently of cars parking in front of residential houses near the retail park and, whilst not illegal, it is causing problems for people who live near the area. There is a bus stop outside the retail park and some staff cycle and walk but others do need to drive in and are finding it difficult to park their cars with limited staff parking. The new group has been set up to help tackle this issue.

Cornwall councillor for Launceston South Jade Farrington wrote on Facebook to help promote the new group: “There isn’t enough staff parking, so many people are leaving their cars on nearby residential estates. This is contributing to problems at the junction with Lidl and cars sometimes stack back onto the main road. It is illegal to park within ten metres of a junction but the police do not have the manpower to enforce this, so the council is going through the process to put down double yellow lines to make the junction safer.

“This liftshare group is an attempt to help staff from all the different shops — and other businesses and services nearby such as DS Smith, Tesco, Launceston Medical Centre and Launceston College — to co-ordinate liftsharing in order to reduce the number of cars parking near the retail park. It may not be convenient for you to share with anyone else who works in the same store as you, but there may be someone at another business who could help. It could also save you money too.”

Cllr Farrington added: “There is staff parking to the rear of the stores which seemed to be sufficient back when Homebase was open and the retail park was operating at full capacity. The change in shops has made it much more popular and has created more jobs, but there is no room for more parking. Alternative solutions therefore need to be found, and one way is reducing the number of vehicles by sharing lifts.”

People are asked to share the group with anyone they know who works in the Hurdon Road area. To join the group, visit the Facebook page www.facebook.com/groups/404573896707128